The first City skipper to gleefully raise a trophy at Wembley, Simon was acting captain on the day Derby were vanquished in the 1994 Play-off Final, shortly before being named as the supporters' choice for Player of the Year.

One of the trio of central defenders initially fielded for that game, yet also the man whose first-time cross from the right led to Steve Walsh's winning goal, Simon had previously starred in midfield and at right-back since his move from Leeds, and his dogged tenacity in each of those positions has been the most prominent feature of his Filbert Street game.

A useful anchorman in his early performances, which included the first Wembley Play-off encounter with Blackburn, he has subsequently settled to more overtly defensive roles, working hard to overcome occasional faults in technique and concentration, which were naturally more harshly exposed at Premiership level. Simon, whose brother Paul is a Yorkshire county cricketer, made both his senior outings for Leeds (during 1987/8) while still a trainee; his #50,000 transfer to City came on the same day Ali Mauchlen moved to Elland Road on loan.

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